Watches, Stories, and Gear: a Surprise Indian Disco Hit, an Epic Super Bowl Halftime Show, and How Footballs are Made

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of some of our favorite watch content on Worn & Wound, great stories from around the web, and cool gear that we’ve got our eye on.

This installment of “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop.

Worn & Wound
From Repeaters to Foudroyantes: an Overview of Unique and Unusual Complications

It’s the first day of February in a leap year, which is a pretty exciting time for fans and owners of complicated watches. The countdown is on until that magical moment when perpetual calendars the world over change over from February 29 to March 1 like it’s nothing. Well, it’s not nothing — it’s a hugely impressive mechanical feat! In the spirit of celebrating high complications, we thought we would highlight this article from the archives, in which Brad Homes dives into some of the more unusual horological complications. And while this story doesn’t explain how to pronounce “foudroyante,” it does give you a great idea of what it does.

Read it here

PBS
Antiques Roadshow

Ok, this one has been making the rounds in the watch world over the last week, but we couldn’t not share what has to be an early contender for most viral watch video of the year. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out this clip right away. This Daytona owner’s reaction to the watch’s value is unforgettable, even more so than the watch itself, which is among the most complete and immaculate Paul Newman sets you’re ever likely to see.

The Ringer
Pure Magic: The Oral History of Prince’s Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show

Super Bowl halftime shows have a reputation for being over the top fluff that makes for an easy excuse to run to the bathroom or otherwise get off the couch and stretch your legs before setting in for the second half of what may or may not be a competitive game. Once in a while though, audiences are treated to a genuinely thrilling audio/visual spectacle, and that’s what the late, great Prince delivered at the half of Super Bowl XLI in 2007. This oral history from The Ringer captures what went into making the 12 minute show happen, and humanizes the Purple One in a way that we’ve rarely seen, providing a fascinating window into how such a complicated show comes together.

Read it here

Gear Patrol
How Wilson Makes Official NFL Super Bowl Footballs

Continuing with the football theme, our friends at Gear Patrol created this great video that details how the official footballs actually used in NFL games are made in a Wilson factory in Ada, Ohio. It’s a surprisingly complicated process, and clearly requires a great deal of skill and craft. There’s also clearly a ton of pride in how these footballs are made, which certainly speaks to us as watch lovers and fans of well-made things in general.

Pitchfork
How a Long Lost Indian Disco Record Won Over Crate Diggers and Cracked the YouTube Algorithm

This story from Pitchfork answers a question as old as time: What if you discovered your mom was an underground Indian disco star? Bonus question: what if she only became a star years after the fact, because of the vagaries of how Youtube videos are suggested to viewers? This is a fun one not just for fans of obscure music, but for anyone who has puzzled over the content that gets served up to us on Youtube and other platforms. 

Read it here

Nike
ACG Air Terra Antarktik

We’ve covered a lot of boots in the pages of Watches, Stories, and Gear, and the Worn & Wound offices are without a doubt populated by some serious sneaker heads, so now, as the days start getting longer and we can legitimately start to see the potential end of the winter months, we thought we’d highlight this unusual entry in Nike’s growing ACG line. On sale today through Nike’s website, the ACG Air Terra Antarktik is a GORE-TEX “jacket for your foot,” and simultaneously one of the most unique winter weather shoe designs we’ve seen, while also unmistakably Nike.

Shop Nike here

Everlane
ReNew Long Parka

While the calendar tells us winter is on its way out, there’s no doubt that much of the country is still susceptible to the prolonged cold snap. If you somehow are still without a solid winter coat, this parka from Everlane will serve you well for the rest of this season, and many winters ahead.

Shop Everlane here